Yesterday was my first visit to the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter’s Fair. It’s been on my radar for a few years but I’d never been able to go, and it was just as fun as the Knitter’s Frolic back in April, if not even a bit more fun. Several of us caravaned down from Hamilton, and once we had all gotten there it was a sort of strange but fluid and workable scattering and re-convening. We would drift off one or two or three at a time, be lured into one of the vendors’ booths and carry on, moving around the two big conference centre ballrooms in that pleasant sort of yarn-induced stupor.

The Purple Purl was, quite rightfully, my first stop. I think they are fast becoming one of the booths to find first, as just as at the Toronto Knitter’s Frolic in April, they had a steady stream of customers all day! And I think just about everything in their booth was on sale, which of course just adds to the degree of frenzy. You’ve seen my purchases from yesterday, but here are some pictures from the day:

As a special treat Miko had brought with her the tiger dress she had just been treated with – another (extremely generous and patient Toronto knitter whose name I sadly do not know) knitter had made this masterpiece from the slightly aged ‘Knitting Wildlife’ book. It truly is a masterpiece, as Martha‘s expression attests:

And to top it off, their ‘Purl’ mascot received her own matching threads:

Elsewhere at the fair, we stopped at the Wellington Fibres, whose spinning fibre and mohair blends quietly sneak up on you and entice themselves into your wallet:

It was outside their booth we saw Debbie New, who is quite possibly the nicest human being ever, and who was ever so brilliantly wearing a just-purchased hank of yarn around her neck, all the better to begin knitting with it right away:

Overall I didn’t notice quite as many people from the Toronto knitting world as at the Frolic in April, but there were definitely a few there and it was great to notice people to say hello to throughout the day. Lisa finished her Cherie Amour while working a volunteer shift, in time to wear it for the afternoon, Sherri was contemplating her Malabrigo purchases, and, Martha and I ran into Divy at the busy busy Camila Valley Farms booth (she was fresh from a new Namaste bag purchase at Village Yarns):

And then when it was all done we left with many bags and drove off happily contemplating the purchases of the day. At lunch, Dee demonstrated the how-to-knit-with-freshly-purchased-yarn technique and cast on right away for a scarf with her new Dye-Version bamboo:

Now that it is the next day, i am left with that inevitable combination of eager startitis and twitchy contemplation of the ever-growing stash. Sounds just about right for a Sunday.